13:00 - 14:00

Hosted by the DISTREE team

This kick-off session for exhibitors features a series of concise presentations by DISTREE’s team of regional experts. Each presentation will bring exhibitors up to speed on conditions in each region, channel trends, key market players and provide them with valuable background information ahead of their one-on-one meetings at DISTREE EMEA. The DISTREE team of experts will also be able to answer specific questions related to their area of regional expertise.

14:40 - 15:10

Ryan Mackey, Consultant

Globetrotting consultant and retail analyst Ryan Mackey returns for his perennially popular ‘Retail Around the World’ session. A great opportunity for vendors, distributors and retailers to get up to speed on the latest retail concepts and models revolutionising consumer technology sales around the world. Get inspired and get new ideas for your business in 2016.

15:20 - 15:50

Isabell Strohofer, Marketing Consultant IT EMEA, GfK

How is Distribution able to improve their importance within the supply chain? How is the channel landscape shifting due to E-Tail & Online Services? Are vendors still using the supply chain or switching to direct sales models?

This workshop is key for understanding the distribution & channel landscape of this decade and provides you all the relevant information for improving your business model and ROI 2016+!

16:40 - 17:10

Oliver Prothmann, President at BVOH

The German Federal Association of Online Trade – is a recognised expert on the European online marketplace. Get an in-depth understanding of how important marketplaces now are for consumer technology channels and how vendors, distributors and retailers should engage with the online giants running these trading platforms.

18:00 - 18:30

Howard Davies, Co-Founder & CEO, CONTEXT

Dig deep into European channel data trends. CONTEXT collects both sales and pricing data at every point in the supply chain and provides fact-based detail of total end user consumption; complete margin visibility; and real channel sales figures for both its B2B and retail clients. Hear the latest market trends and updates from CONTEXT executives.

9:20 - 09:50

Michael White, General Manager, Quadmark

Consistently rated as one of the top speakers at DISTREE Events, Michael White from Quadmark will once again identify some of the fundamental changes impacting channel structures for consumer technology in EMEA. This session will cover a wide range of topical issues and explore how vendors, distributors and retailers will need to adapt in 2016 to changing market models.

10:00 - 11:10

Craig Thomas, Pre-Sales Consultant EMEA, Zyme

Consumer technology companies annually hand over billions of dollars of goods and services to global distributors and retailers. Using these channels is essential to their business models, but the sales and inventory data that flows through these channels has historically been difficult to manage. As partner networks become even more integral to the growth and profitability of these companies, the pressures to reduce costs and drive efficiencies in this area increases. This workshop will explore how Channel Data Management (CDM) can help companies gain control of their channel data, and will include a case study example from B&O Play, a Zyme customer who is implementing CDM and working towards the real ROI benefits that complete channel data accuracy and visibility provides.

11:20 - 11:50

Ines Haaga, Marketing Director IT EMEA, GfK

How to address the customers with the right channel mix? Which product mix is needed channel by channel?

How to create a seamless customer experience across channels? This workshop is key for understanding & managing the channel landscape. Offering the customer choice is a key element in developed markets. GfK

will illustrate recent channel & category trends enabling you to optimize your channel performance in B2B, B2C and E-Tail.

12:00 - 12:30

Igor Snytko, Executive Director, Ocean Solutions

While all experts predict that 2016 will be another challenging year for ICT market players in Russia, there are always opportunities. It is necessary to plan resources appropriately to sustain economic viability, invest in innovative operating models and carefully work on value propositions that keep up to date with customers’ aspirations. Regional expert Igor Snytko will explain the situation for 2016 and provide advice on how vendors can adapt their market approach in Russia & CIS to maximise sales, while minimising exposure to risk. A 'must attend' session for vendors, distributors and retailers operating in the Russia & CIS markets.

14:00 - 15:50

Lamar Williams, Director at Rude Baguette

Lamar Williams will host an extended workshop session focused on the future of the start-up landscape in Europe, the rise of smart products and what it means for traditional channel and retail models. Lamar is a thought leader on the European start-up ecosystem, being interviewed in online, TV, and radio all over the world.

16:00 - 17:10

Laurent Eymard, Co-Founder & CEO, RED DOPLHIN

Demand for wearables continues to grow. Wearables expert Laurent Eymard from Red Dolphin will lead this in-depth session looking at wearables trends and predictions for EMEA channels. The session will also feature live demonstrations of some of the latest wearables products. It will also help distributors and retailers to identify which wearables categories hold the most potential. 

Presentation will take place during the Wearables Update workshop

Jan Wassmann, Global Product Manager for Wearables, GfK 

Get the latest global insights on the Wearables market from GfK.

11:20 - 11:50

Dennis Bode, Editor in Chief, Hardwareluxx Media GmbH

What do Europe's consumers really think about new tech hitting the market? Hear the findings from the European Hardware Association’s (EHA) latest consumer survey covering nine countries. This session will look at consumer purchasing intentions for 2016 and focus on four of the focus categories at this year’s DISTREE EMEA: drones and connected toys; wearables; smart home products, and audio. EHA will also present the latest ‘Best Practice’ tips for product launches in Europe.

12:00 - 12:30

Sébastien Paillet, Founder, Early Metrics

Early Metrics specialises in rating start-ups and innovative SMEs. Its in-depth business analysis processes give it a unique perspective on what marks out a winning start-up. For distributors and retailers, identifying successful products early and engaging with high potential companies is key to their success. This session will help channel partners understand how to identify and analyse new brands and hot products early in their development cycle.

17:20 - 17:50

Pradip Somaia, Partner, Regent

Somaia will share with delegates a detailed insight into the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities of technology Industries covering numbers of transactions done, valuation trends and hot sectors. Somaia will also give an overview of how to develop a successful M&A strategy. Vendors, distributors and retailers looking to either sell or acquire business units will find this session invaluable as Somaia also explores the M&A process and how best to set up a business for sale or approach potential targets.

18:00 - 18:30

Konstanze Kossack, Director of Innovation Projects at consultancy Futurecandy, will expand on the keynote presentation and look at what the future holds for the channel and also answer questions from attendees. When multichannel models, IoT and personalisation collide, we will all need to identify new ways to create, maintain and sustain consumer and customer relationships.